Road Trip
by Rebecca and her Pancakes
Summary: Stephanie asks Ranger to go on a road trip. Does she get herself into more than she can handle?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

My name is Stephanie Plum. I'm a bounty hunter, or bond enforcement agent, if you wanted to get technical. At least, that's what I called myself. My on again off again boyfriend, Joe Morelli, didn't think getting lucky and catching a few skips counted as being a bounty hunter.

That reasoning is why we're on the off again stage. My "mentor", Ranger, had been teaching me better techniques to capture FTA's. Instead of me running blindly and rolling in garbage, I was down to just running blindly.

I walked into the elevator at the Rangeman building, rolling my neck. My mother told me not to sleep without pillow or my neck would cramp, but just like I always do, I ignored her advice. Hence the neck cramp. I hate when my mother is right.

As I walked out, all eyes turned to me. I was greeted by smiles and waves, and Lester yelling "Hey, Beautiful!" like he always does. I smiled in return and headed to Ranger's office.

It made me happy to know that I could amuse the guys, even though some of them had to go to the hospital because of me. They didn't seem to mind, and they weren't nearly so scary now that I knew how to lose them in a maze of 'Burg streets.

The 'Burg is where I grew up. My mother had dinner ready on the table at 6 O'clock sharp, my father seated at one end of the table, holding his knife and fork like if he let go of them all of the food would disappear. It hadn't changed much over the years. I couldn't decide yet if that was a good thing or not.

I walked into Ranger's office, which was not where I, or probably anyone else for that matter, would picture him. To me, Ranger should be in the streets kicking ass, not sitting behind a desk checking e-mails.

"Hey, Babe." Ranger eyed me, a small smile on his lips. "Ready to train?"

"Actually… I was wondering if you had vacation time. Normally people do, but since you own the place I didn't know if you had to ask or if you could just leave and for how long…" I trailed off as he raised his eyebrow.

Because Ranger speaks about three words in all, I assumed the eyebrow was asking me why I was asking about time and vacations. "Well, Lula and Connie told me I should take a road trip. You know, to get away for a while. And I didn't want to go alone, because you know what happens. Bad things always happen."

I stood there awkwardly as the eyebrow rose, and the other one joined it. I took a breath and said hurriedly, "But you don't have to if you don't want to, you're probably busy, I didn't want to go with Joe but I guess I could ask someone else just never mind this was stupid…" I trailed off while mentally slapping myself for even asking him.

Why would he even want to go? Of course he wouldn't, he had a business to run and he told me himself he only kept me around for entertainment.

"Sure", he said. "I'll go. When did you want to leave?"

I stared at him, backtracking in my head and wondering if I missed something. I heard someone in the control room murmur "Pay up!" and he glared in their general direction. "I… Uhm, I was going to leave tomorrow… If that's all right with you?" My voice raised into a question.

"Of course. I'll pick you up at 7." He stated this with no hesitation, leaning forward and taking my hand, smiling at me. Not just a wimpy little "corner-of-the-mouth-turn-up" smile, but a couple hundred kilowatts of perfect teeth and eye wrinkles.

I momentarily lost my breath. "Okay. I'll go get packed now. We're not riding in the Porsche, are we?"

He laughed and shook his head. Wow, smiles and a laugh. Did Hell freeze over? "I'll bring one of the Explorers. More room for everything we could need… Or do." That got a whistle from the control room and a "Go bossman!"

I felt my face heat up. "Uh… Yeah. Sure."

As I walked out of the office, I knew everyone was looking at me. Just as Lester was about to make some smart remark, Ranger barked, "Santos! Office! _Now._" The guys burst out laughing and Lester smiled sheepishly. "Later, Bombshell."

I shook my head and got into the elevator. I was never going to hear the end of this one.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes. **

I blinked at the sudden sunlight when I exited the building. Pulling my sunglasses over my eyes, I thought about what I had done. I just asked Ranger to go on a road trip with me. The Ranger that stole kisses from me, the Ranger that lent me cars and told me he'd be expecting payment. That was no big deal, right? It was just a road trip. He wouldn't try anything, right? I knew that this probably wasn't true, so I took a minute to compose myself.

I knew the Merry Men would be watching on their computers. I was always doing something to amuse them. Taking a deep breath, I told my brain it would be fine and to stop freaking out. The butterflies in my stomach disagreed.

I blew out a sigh. Everything will be fine, I reassured myself. He knows your boundaries. Of course I didn't always make them clear, and even when I did, his tongue managed to make the rules feel a little fuzzy. I got a rush thinking of Ranger and what he can do with his tongue, and I mentally shook myself.

Get it together, Stephanie. You have packing to do. I need Mary Lou. Shoving myself into my current P.O.S car, I turned up Metallica and rolled the windows down as far as they would go in the current condition. The current condition wasn't good. I didn't have a radio, I only had brakes half of the time, and there was no backseat. At least the C.D. player worked.

I think Mary Lou heard me coming down the street, because she was staring at me with the door wide open, apparently forgetting about motherly duties because her kids were running around beating each other with Barbie dolls. Her mouth matched the door, which means it was also wide open.

What? I mentally asked. I didn't look that bad, did I? I smoothed my hair. Maybe she had developed the 'Burg housewife radar. The radar allowed mothers all over the 'Burg to be alerted when their offspring came near the house. My mother and grandmother were blessed with the 'Burg radar. You could tell by how they always had their noses pressed up against the screen door. It was always a mystery how they could keep their noses free of marks. The probability that Mary Lou, who ordered take out almost every night and once used hair dye as shampoo for the kids, had the radar was slim.

"Hey, Mary Lou. Do you have a few hours to spare? I'm going on a… Uhm, road trip with Ranger. And I need some help." Jeez, what was with people's eyebrows these days? Mary Lou's were buried in her bangs. I sighed again. I could never have just a friendly road trip, could I? "Okay, it's not what you think. Well actually, he might have mentioned backseat activities, but-"

"Wait! Hot guy mentioned backseat activities? Go Steph! Don't tell anyone I said this, but I think this Ranger guy might be hotter than Morelli." Now it was my turn for adventuring eyebrows. Mary Lou smiled. "But it is a close call. I'd have to see _every_ detail to know for sure." I burst out laughing as she waggled her eyebrows and winked at me. I loved my best friend.

"So you can help me?" She gave me a look that clearly said "Duh."

Reaching behind her, she grabbed her purse. "Hon, I'm leaving for a bit! Don't let the kids have ice cream and make sure they don't barbeque the dog!" We hopped in the car and backed out of the driveway. I was surprised I didn't run over any toys.

Mary Lou had a twinkle in her eyes. "You know what we should do? We should go shopping. You look like you lost some weight since you've been 'training' with Ranger."

I narrowed my eyes. "I have _not_ been sleeping with him, Mary Lou. We've actually been training. And I lost those five pounds I wanted to.

She crowed, "Shopping it is!"

Rolling my eyes, I turned the car towards the Quaker Bridge Mall. She pumped her fist and turned the music up.

Finding a parking space at the mall in the middle of summer is like me catching a skip Ranger was assigned. It relies on nothing but luck.

There were a lot of cars there today, even for summer. Mary Lou and I drove around the parking lot four times before a Nissan pulled out of a spot. The guy winked at me as he slowly drove by. I returned the gesture by flipping him the bird.

The blast of cold air hit us as we opened the door. We closed our eyes and let it wash over our sweat soaked skin. My car doesn't have air conditioning. Surprising, isn't it?

Mary Lou's head whipped towards Victoria's Secret. Turning on her heel, she headed towards the entrance with a determined look on her face. I panicked.

"Mary Lou! There isn't any need to buy me new underwear for this!" I shouted to her. Heads turned my way, and I saw phones come out of purses. Mentally slapping myself because I knew my mother would soon be hearing about this, I followed Mary Lou into the store.

**A/N: Thank you guys sooo much for your reviews. I walked around the house all day smiling. I know, I'm a little bit silly :P But seriously, you guys are awesome.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

I wasn't aware of what I was getting myself into by asking Ranger to go on this road trip. I assumed it would have semi sexual references, but actually doing something? I mean, this is Ranger, for crying out loud. He's like sex in black cargo pants. He's always been careful with me, but it seemed as though he was getting impatient.

I couldn't really blame him. I'm sure the days of me saying no followed by nights of cold showers were going to break his willpower at some point, I just didn't know when. And I didn't know if he was going to stick around or leave once it did.

He said himself that his life didn't lend itself to relationships, whatever the heck that meant. I think going on a road trip is more a relationship thing than a sexual thing to do. This was all so confusing. The Man of Mystery remains a mystery.

Shaking my head, I strolled into the store. Bras and panties on hooks and stockings with little bows on them were not my idea of a "what to wear" on a road trip, but I _had _lost five pounds, and some new sexy panties couldn't do any harm. I told myself this as I searched for Mary Lou.

Passing sets of lacy underwear and things that covered nothing, I finally found her. She had a determined look on her face and an armful of matching panties and bras.

"Here, try these on while I look for more." She said while thrusting the clothes at me.

I trudged over to the lady at the counter, handing over the garments. She shoved a card at me that read 6. I took the card and the clothes and headed to the dressing rooms. This was going to be interesting.

Five minutes later, I was standing in front of the full length mirror that hung on the door in less than the skimpiest bathing suit. I was horrified at the size of them, but I had to admit, Victoria's Secret never disappoints.

Mary Lou would say I looked smokin' hot. Morelli would just say "cute" before taking it off. I frowned at that thought. Ranger probably wouldn't be able to say anything. He'd probably just admire and appreciate me and all that I did to make him happy, including wearing this… stuff.

A tear slid down my cheek and I angrily swiped it away. I knew what I had to do. I was tired of people clipping my wings. It was time for me to be happy, for once.

I tried the rest of the underthings on, and I liked what I saw. Smiling slightly to myself, I internally hoped Ranger did, too. I wasn't going to tell Mary Lou or anybody else of my plans to make Ranger get me naked enough to see them.

I pranced up to my friend and told her that I was ready to go. She started to protest, saying that I had to buy _something_, before she noticed I still had all of the clothes with me. She pulled her eyebrows together, confused.

"You… You're getting them all? But… I thought you said they weren't for a road trip!"

"I changed my mind. They are. They make me look good, and what woman doesn't want to look good?"

She still looked disbelieving, but she just shrugged and walked with me up to the counter so I could pay for my new lingerie. I almost had a cow when the sales lady told me the total, but Mary Lou managed to reassure me it would be worth it. I wouldn't want to be stuck in my froggy underwear if something _did _happen, did I? The lady nodded. I sighed and forked over my credit card.

After Mary Lou talked me into buying new jeans and t-shirts, which I needed anyway, I got some tank tops and sundresses. I was sure that by the time I was done, I had more debt than the United States government.

Mary Lou's eyes widened and she smacked her forehead. "Why didn't I think of it before? You need condoms! And hair products! And-"

"Woah woah woah. Condoms? Even if I _was_ going to do something, isn't it the guys jobs to get those? And I'm on the pill! I can agree to the hair products, even though it's a road trip, but I don't think I need condoms."

She gave me another look. "You're buying condoms. And hair products. And shoes. Don't fight it, Steph! It's what your body wants! Listen to it once in a while."

"Fine," I grumbled. "But I'm going to feel ridiculous if he finds them and raises his eyebrows at me. Which he will. What if he doesn't want to have sex with me and just thinks I'm silly for thinking that? Gah, whatever. I'm feeling slightly like an amusement factor, anyway."

She beamed and dragged me into the next store. By the time I shopped my way around the mall, I had accumulated a large number of bags. "Uhm, Mary Lou, I don't think these are going to fit in my car."

She eyed the bags around us. "We'll just cross that bridge when we come to it. We should've brought my minivan."

We walked to my car, dragging our feet in the hot weather. As we got closer, I noticed a red firebird parked next to is. Oh no, I thought. There's only one person I know that has a car like th-

"Hello? Stephaniiiiiiiiiiie! Girl, why didn't you tell me you were going shopping! I _love_ shopping! I could've given you some of my fashion advice. You probably just got t-shirts and boring old jeans. Spandex is a girl's best friend! You got some spandex, right?" She whistled. "Are these condoms? Why you need condoms? Hot damn! These are some nice panties. You getting all dressed up for that hot hunk of cop of yours? Hold up. You're not taking the _cop_ on the road trip, are you?"

Mary Lou had a smug look on her face. I think it was because Lula hadn't said anything about new panties being unnecessary for a road trip.

"Me and Connie told you to go on a road trip because we thought that would push you towards Ranger! Girl, he is fine. You gotta get you a piece of that."

I blinked. "Lula, I did ask Ranger. We leave at seven O'clock tomorrow morning."

She took a deep breath. "Because Ranger is better for you than… Wait, you asked Ranger? Oh girl, you _are _gonna get some!"

A huge smile broke out on all of our faces. "I don't suppose you'd lend us some room for all our bags? Why are you here, anyway?"

"Well, I figured you'd come to the bonds office after you asked someone, preferably Ranger, so when you didn't I traced your steps here. That wasn't easy. After I got here, though, it wasn't hard to find your car, even in the summer, on account of it's such a piece of crap. And then I waited here. I wanted the details on the trip!"

This sounded like something Lula would do. "Well, Mary Lou insisted I go to the spa and have the works done, being as I'm going to "get lucky". You can tag along if you want to hear the details."

"Get lucky? Oh, I am not missing this story!"

We all shared a look and giggled. I'm not sure why I giggled, because I'm not usually a giggler. Maybe it was the thought of me getting lucky that prompted me to giggle. I don't know if that's the exact reason _I_ giggled, but I am sure that thought would make a lot of other women giggle.

After stuffing mine and Lula's cars full of shopping bags, I hopped in and drove towards the hair and nail salon that does other things, too. Lula followed me, which was entertaining to hear because she was yelling at people.

As we drove, Mary Lou asked me what changed to make me willing to shop. I shrugged, not sure what to tell her. I decided to go with honesty.

"For a while now, Joe's been pushing me to quit my job and work at the button factory. He says that if I quit, I'll have no reason to work out with Ranger anymore. Joe likes to tell me that Ranger is a loose cannon and he's dangerous. The dangerous part is true, at least to the people that mess with him or the people he loves, but Ranger… Ranger helps me spread my wings wider instead of holding them down and tying an apron on top of them. I was looking in the mirror at Victoria's Secret, and I really liked what I saw. And when I realized that, I also realized that I want someone who will take the time to look at me, not through me. It's going to hurt to tell Joe that I don't want to be with him, because I do know that he loves me. He just doesn't love me the way I want to be loved."

By the time I was finished, Mary Lou had a small smile on her face.

"You know, I might have always been the sane friend, but you've always been the one to go out and get what you want, instead of settling for what's there and what's easy. I admire you, Steph, and I know that no matter what happens on this road trip, you'll get what you want in the long run. You're as stubborn as a black Friday shopper holding the last pair of 50% off Gucci boots."

I laughed. Leave it to Mary Lou to put things in perspective. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Lula stomped up to my car. "Let's go, girls! We gonna feel pretty by the time we done here. Chop chop!"

Heaving myself out of my car, I said on a sigh, "All right, let's get this over with."

"Oh no! This here is a happy day." Lula said.

"Yeah," Mary Lou added. "Turn that frown upside down!"

She had been spending too much time around children. I squared my shoulders and turned my nose up.

"Let's go make Batman stare, ladies."

They looked at each other and back to me for a couple of seconds before whooping and following after me. I had a man to take down…

And I always get my man.

**A/N: All righty, guys. I actually had this written last night, but it was on my iPod. I wanted to see how many reviews I could squeeze out of the first two chapters before I posted this one. I feel really good about this chapter! It's almost a thousand words longer than the first two. I hope you guys like it! And thank you again for taking the time to read :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

My nails were painted a peach color and my hair was conditioned so it'll be soft no matter what I do to it. The lady even said it would survive an explosion. I wasn't sure if she was making fun of me or trying to be helpful.

We talked about how I asked Ranger to go on a road trip with me, and how I was sure he was going to say no because of the eyebrows. Then I told them about Lester-I figured out it was him from a call from Hal-made a bet with all the guys about whether or not Ranger would take time off to go on a trip with me. I asked Lula if she knew anything about the guys knowing about the trip, and she smiled.

"You're not the only one with Hal's number, you know."

I wondered why most of the guys said Ranger wouldn't go with me, and Lula answered that for me, too. She said that Ranger hadn't taken more than a couple hours off since the day he declared Rangeman open for business. I turned that around in my head. Maybe he does like me more than I thought he would. I asked Lula why Lester was so sure he would, and again she had an answer.

"Tank is the only one besides Lester that knows exactly how much Ranger cares for you in the bet. And Tank didn't participate in the bet."

Mary Lou and I exchanged glances. "Why not?"

Lula shrugged. "He didn't tell Hal that."

Well this certainly gave me something to think about. After us girls had our fun, they took us to the back room for waxes. When I say waxes, I mean they wax you _everywhere._ I told myself the pain was worth it. Mary Lou was screeching that childbirth hurt less than this, and she better look friggin' hot afterwards or she'd be pissed. Lula was bopping her head to the music on her iPod. I guess after being a 'ho all them years she was immune to pain. I let out a few whimpers every so often, when the wax felt particularly hot.

I could hear Mary Lou's sigh of relief when the waxer announced we were hair free, except for a small patch on our… Let's just say the Brazilian women would be jealous. Mary Lou grumbled all the way to the small counter where we paid.

"I have to pay an arm and a leg for something that causes me to walk bowl-legged. What has personal hygiene come to? Why would any woman voluntarily go through this?" She trailed off as we handed over our credit cards.

Lula was beaming. "Girl, Ranger is going to wonder what he did to make God smile down on him. You look sexy!"

I smiled. Just what I wanted. "Okay, so are you going to help me pack, or what?"

The girls gave each other a look. "Get in the car, white girl."

I narrowed my eyes, scrunching myself into the car. Seventeen and a half minutes later, we arrived in the parking lot. My face relaxed as I hear Lula's music cut off. I could hear her music the whole seventeen and a half minutes, and I wasn't even in her car.

"Don't they have laws against how loud your music can be?"

She snorted. I took that as a "Let 'em try and turn my music down!"

"Steph, that there was Waka Flocka. You don't turn Waka Flocka down."

I shook my head as I pulled the bags out of my car. I asked some teen standing on the corner looking high out of his mind if he knew who Waka Flocka was. "Yeah, dude, everyone does!" He said, smiling lazily.

Good enough for me. I recruited him to help carry the bags to my apartment. I gave him a pat on the back and a five dollar bill. He looked pleased and said "Sweet." I still can't believe how easy it is to get along with today's youth.

I let out a screech as I opened my door and saw Morelli standing there. I saw a pizza box and a six pack behind him. He looked surprised as he took in the bags and my two friends glaring at him.

"Oh hey, Mary Lou, Lula. Cupcake, I brought dinner. What are these?" he asked as he reached towards one of the Victoria's Secret bags. Mary Lou snatched the bag away before he could reach them.

"They're for Ranger!" she blurted without thinking.

I froze and mentally tied myself a noose, hanging it from the fan and slipping it around my neck. This is going horrible and I haven't even been home for two minutes. Joe raised an eyebrow at me.

"They're for Ranger? I didn't know he was into cross dressing." I could tell he was trying to keep a light tone, but I could hear the sorrow and anger beneath the surface.

I took a deep breath, preparing to do the worst damage anyone could do: break someone's heart.

"Joe… You know I love you. I think I might have loved you since I was five, when you dragged me into that stupid garage. You've been such a great person, and an accepting boyfriend. Most of the time. But you never have wanted me. You wanted what I could become, if I stopped being me. I know there's some girl out there that can give you what you want in the long run. Yeah, I'm a warm body to come home to, and someone safe and easy to settle down with. If I would change. But you can't love me like I need to be loved. You've tried to stop pestering me about my job and tried to wheedle me into settling down with you. I don't think you realize that I don't want to settle down right now. I don't even know if I want children. I asked Ranger to go on a road trip with me. I just need to get away for a while. I'm so sorry, Joe, but I don't think we're going to work out. I love you, and a part of me always will."

He stared at his feet. It was silent for so long, I thought he might be contemplating how best to kill Ranger. When he finally looked up, there were tears tracing down his cheeks. I felt sadness pierce my heart, and for a moment I considered taking it all back. But then I remembered why I did this in the first place, so I held my tongue. Mary Lou and Lula looked shocked to see Morelli cry.

"Cupcake… I love you. I know now what I've been doing to you these past years. If there was any way I could take it back and make you able to be happy with me, I would do it." He sucked in a steadying breath. "But I can't, and all I want is for you to be happy. Your smile is so gorgeous, Stephanie, and I wish I could take back the times I made it disappear. I want you to go with Ranger, and I want you to spread your wings. You deserve it. I'm so sorry I did this to you. I'll love you always, Cupcake."

I blinked away my tears. I knew this was going to be hard, but it felt like some of my heart was tearing itself out of my body. I hugged him tightly and sobbed. I could feel his tears soaking into my hair. Lula and Mary Lou had tears running down their cheeks. They excused themselves into the hall. I looked up into Joe's eyes and he leaned down, placing one last soft kiss on my lips. His forehead rested against mine as we held each other.

Reviewing all the memories we shared since we were little, I could feel myself missing him already. He held me tighter. We stepped apart after a while, and smiled sadly at each other.

"Joe-"

"Steph-"

We stopped, and he motioned me to keep going. It was the first time he had ever let me speak without interrupting me. I knew then that we were going to be okay, and my heart swelled with the knowledge I wasn't going to lose a friend.

"Joe, I want to stay friends. Do you think we could do that?"

He looked at me, a smile spreading across his face. "I was going to ask the same thing. I'd love to. Why don't you get the girls back in here and we'll share the pizza and beer while you guys pack. I'll help, if you want."

I blew out a relieved sigh. No matter what anyone said, Joe was a good guy. He just wasn't the right good guy for me. Wiping my eyes, I opened the door.

"You guys can come in now. Joe brought dinner. Let's get a move on, I only have a couple of hours left before I have to drag myself out of bed and pretend not to be nervous."

We all sat down and dug into the pizza. Pino's is the best there is, I'd swear to it on the bible. Cracking open a beer, Joe asked, "So where are you two going on this road trip?"

I paused with my pizza halfway to my mouth. Lula and Mary Lou looked at me, waiting for my answer.

"Uhm… Well I don't actually know. I hadn't planned anything… Since Ranger _does_ have vacation time, apparently, maybe we'll go down to Key West. Do, uh, any of you know how to get to Key West?

Joe blinked and then burst out laughing. "Same old Steph."

Lula shook her head, and Mary Lou looked disbelieving. After all the years she had known me, I would've thought she had gotten used to me being unprepared by now.

Standing up, I announced, "If I'm going to be ready to go God knows where by seven tomorrow, we need to get going. It's six right now, and I hope to be done by nine."

Joe took the empty beer cans and the pizza box to the dumpster while Mary Lou dragged one of my suitcases out of the closet. Lula started flinging clothes out of the bags. Setting the suitcase on the living room floor, Mary Lou instructed me to go get the other suitcase and duffel bag. Joe, Mary Lou, Lula and I all packed with no breaks, vetoing some shirts, jeans, and dresses, finding a hiding place for the condoms, which Joe raised his eyebrows at, and organizing the hair products alphabetically.

That was Lula's idea. She said a woman didn't need to have her priorities straight, but she definitely needed her hair products in order. By 9:10, we were flopped on the couch, with the suitcases packed and the duffel bag was zipped.

Joe was the first to stand. "I'd better be off. I have an early morning tomorrow."

Lula struggled up from the couch. "Yeah, I gotta go too. Those two slices of pizza weren't enough to fill me up. It's my plan to hit Cluck-In-A-Bucket and pass out. Hey Mary Lou, you need a ride home?"

Mary Lou rose, saying, "Yeah, I better. I've been gone since eleven this morning. I'm surprised that the kids are alive and I haven't received any calls from the hospitals."

Laughing slightly, I hugged both of my friends. "It was so nice to see you again. After this trip, I'll call you and tell you the news, good or bad. Lula, I'll see you at the bonds office when I get back. Joe… I'll see you around. Maybe the Friday of the game, we can order pizza and have some beers?

Joe nodded. "I'd like that. I'll get the pizza, you get the beer."

Mary Lou and Lula waved, getting into the elevator. Joe took the stairs and was gone. I felt suddenly alone. I didn't want to think about what was going to happen with Ranger tomorrow. He was always so prepared and I was just… Not. I wondered if he was going to be angry when he learned I had zero plans for the road trip.

Sighing, I turned the deadbolt and slid the chain into place, not that it did much good. Maybe Ranger wouldn't show up tonight, like the morning of your wedding when the groom isn't allowed to see the bride. My mind wandered down the lane of what it would be like to marry him, before I shook myself out of it.

Dangerous to be thinking that, I told myself. I'm pretty sure Ranger can read minds, and how embarrassing would that be, if he knew I was thinking about marrying him.

I took a shower, before I went to bed, relieving some stress I had with my shower massager. I wouldn't want to be all built up on this particular vacation. Changing into the new pajamas I had bought, which were silk and had the Batman symbol on them, I slid under the covers and set my alarm for 6:30.

I hoped I wasn't doing the wrong thing with Ranger. I was afraid to see what it would end up like if it didn't have a happy ending. Usually non happy endings with Ranger ended with bullets and missing people.

On that note, I shivered and drifted to sleep.

***Cringes and hides underneath desk* I know some of you hardcore babes are going to kill me because Stephanie and Joe stayed friends, but in my heart I think Joe does want what's best for her, and ending them in a horrible way doesn't work in the plans for this story. I do need some input before I publish the next chapter, though. Do you guys think I should make the Merry Men tag along, or should this just be Ranger and Steph? Let me know what you guys think! I hope you had a good 4th of July. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes. **

When my alarm buzzed that morning, I woke with a jolt of fear. Half of me was hoping this was just a dream, and the other half was feeling like a teenage girl on prom night. The teenager part of me jumped at the chance to go on a road trip with Ranger. The dream part of me wanted to go back to sleep… In China.

I slowly got myself out of bed and into the low rise, skinny flare jeans that Mary Lou insisted I looked great in. Pulling a blue tank top over my head, I checked in the mirror. Ranger, eat your heart out. I slipped on my new flats and a hairband, grabbing a bowl of cereal before checking my e-mail.

My heart started pounding when I heard a knock on the door. Rushing to open it, I saw Lester, Hal, and Tank standing there.

"Uh… Hi guys. What are you doing here?"

Tank said, "We're supposed to get your bags for you, Bomber. Ranger's waiting for you downstairs."

Hal grabbed Rex, toting him downstairs while Tank grabbed one suitcase, Lester grabbed the other and I slung the duffel over my shoulder. Looking around my apartment to double check that I had everything, I mentally slapped myself. I had completely forgotten to tell Vinnie I was leaving! I was going to be gone for however long, and I had piles of skips. I opened my mouth to tell the guys when Binkie rushed up the stairs.

"Sorry I'm late! Sorry, sorry! Steph, I'm gonna need your skips. I'm taking over them while you're gone."

I sighed in relief, handing over the files I had with me. Ranger _did_ think of everything. I would have to thank him for that. Right after insisting Binkie gets the money, not me. If he disagreed, I'd just place a phone call to Connie. In fact, I'll do that now, before he could stop me. Whipping out my phone, I dialed her number.

"Hey, Connie, I need a favor. The skips that Binkie brings in for me, make sure the checks are made out to him."

"Ranger told me to make them out to you, Steph. The way he looked at me almost made me pee my pants. I'm terrified to not listen to him."

"If you don't then you'll never get to hear what happens on my trip. I won't let anyone else tell you, either." I feigned concern for her.

"I could just bribe Lula with donuts." She threw back at me.

"And I would double your offer. I have the Merry Men on my side now, Connie. You can't win."

I could practically feel her indecisiveness through the phone. "Fine! But if he kills me, I swear I will haunt you for the rest of your life! I'll get Grandma Bella to put the eye on you!"

I shivered. "Thanks, Connie. It wouldn't feel right accepting the money when I'm not doing anything."

We said our goodbyes, and when I hung up I realized I was standing next to a huge van. It was the kind that had eight seats and enough room in the back for an entire Victoria's Secret store. Well maybe I was exaggerating, but it was close enough. Ranger was leaning against the passenger side door. He was looking very sexy in dark jeans and a fitted white t-shirt, with his hair slicked back into a ponytail. He motioned his head to the back, and Lester took the duffel bag from me and set it in the back, along with the two suitcases and the suitcase that was already there. I figured it was Rangers.

"Slight change of plans from the explorer. I figured this would give us more room, and the back seat folds out into a bed. Guys, you're dismissed. Babe, after you."

He opened up the door for me, giving me a hand up. I told Hal to take good care of Rex, told Binkie thanks for taking over the skips, and hugged them all goodbye. They looked surprised but happy. I guess they didn't get many hugs.

Ranger sat in the driver's seat and turned the ignition on. Looking at me expectantly, he asked, "Where to now?" He turned on the GPS. I looked at him. I knew he was expecting an easy answer, like North Carolina or for us to drive all the way across the country and back, which I knew he would do for me.

Instead, I looked around and said, "Left. I like left for now."

He stared at me. Opening his mouth to say something, he thought better of it and sat in silence for a few moments. I saw a play of emotions run across his face. That's a rare thing for anybody to see. First, he narrowed his eyes in annoyance, then rolled them in acceptance, bit his cheek while he wondered what to say, and finally turned to look at me with something in his eyes that I only saw when he held me or saw me safe after a disastrous episode with a skip. I realized with a rush of uncertainty that it was love.

He looked me in the eyes and said, "As long as I'm with you, I don't care if we go left, right, upside down or in a circle. It'll be worth all the time in the world."

I started to smile. "Left it is. But before we go anywhere outside of Trenton, we need to stop somewhere and buy snacks. And if I hear one more 'That stuff will kill you, Babe.' I will find a horrible country station and force you to listen to it."

He looked kinda amused by my threat, which was insulting but I let it slide, and headed towards the 7-11. Wow, if I could control him this easily with threats of country music, imagine how effective I could be without my clothes on. This was going to be so much fun, I giggled to myself. Ranger cut a look to me out of the corner of his eye. Whoops, must have giggled out loud.

When the van pulled up to the store, Ranger handed me 20 dollars. I accepted it and returned to him with a bag full of nuts, donuts, sandwiches, fruit, four bags of cheese doodles, and sixty-seven cents in change. He searched the bag, settling on sunflower seeds. Pulling out onto the highway, he looked at me.

"So, where to first?"

I looked out the window, munching on my cheese doodles. "I don't know. Let's drive, and if we find somewhere that looks like fun, we'll stop and explore!"

Ranger half-smiled. "Babe."

I stopped eating the doodles, looking at him. My eyes narrowed. "If this road trip is going to serve us any purpose, you're going to need to say more than one word."

He looked out the windshield, silent. I wasn't sure he was going to say anything. Just as I was about to pester him for answers, he said, "I'm nervous. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and I'm terrified I'm going to say the wrong thing and lose you. I don't want to mess this up, Babe. I don't know _what_ to say."

"Why don't you start with what you mean about not feeling this way about anybody else? I obviously care for you. A lot. I don't put my cheese doodles down for just anyone, you know."

He glanced at me and then at the doodle bag. I knew he wanted to say something about how unhealthy they were, but he refrained. This was good. Nobody messed with my doodles.

"I like you. No, I love you. And what I said about a ring not being necessary? I meant it. At least not right now. Maybe in a couple of years, when my government contract is up and I can give you a stable home. It would mean so much if you could stick around until then, because I love you. And losing you isn't something I would be happy with."

I'd never heard Ranger speak a lot, but I knew there would have to be a lot of speaking going on about us before anything could work out and I could make good use of the bed in the back.

"I love you, too. I love how you don't hold me back, and how you kiss me even when I am covered in garbage." He grimaced. "I love the way you make me feel every day when I see you. I would wait forever, if my forever ended with you."

He slowed the car and turned to look at me. With a completely serious expression, he mumbled, "I have a question. You have to answer it with complete honesty, and if you say no we might have a problem."

I felt a lump in my throat. That didn't sound good. "Of course." I whispered.

He pulled over onto the side of the road and took my face in between his hands, looked me in the eye, and asked, "Would you give up your cheese doodles for me?"

I stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious? I thought you were asking something important! Of course I'd give up my cheese doodles for you!"

I burst out laughing as he kissed me full on the mouth, smacking his arm.

"I know you care about me if you'd give up your doodles. I would never make you, though, the doodles are a part of your life."

He had a hundred watt smile on his face, and he kissed me again. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that, knowing you wouldn't have guilty feelings when you woke up in the morning."

He kissed me a couple more times, melting my brain a little. When he finally got the van back on the road, I was breathing heavy and my hand was shaking as I turned down the air. He raised his eyebrows, amused.

"Oh, shut up. You know what you do to me, don't play innocent."

We drove for a couple of hours, playing car games. For example, the alphabet game went like this:

Ranger, "Abercrombie and Fitch."

Me, "Billboard."

"Car."

"Door."

"I'm not sure if that should count or not, but I'll let it go. Exit."

"Of course it should count. We aren't playing the hard round yet. Freeway."

"Guardrails."

"Handicap sticker."

"Ha! That took you a while to find. Interstate sign." He taunted me.

I glared at him. "We're on a highway with nothing but cars, grass, billboards, and sometimes farm life. It would take most people a long time to find stuff. Jeans."

"That one's definitely cheating! I thought it couldn't be inside the car!"

"It can! Not on the hard round yet, remember? Now go, it's your turn!"

"What letter was I on again?"

I sighed, exasperated. He wasn't taking this seriously! "K!"

"Oh, right. Hmm… Kids."

I licked him. "Lick."

He stared forward, biting his cheek. I thought he was going to yell. Instead, he started laughing. He was laughing so hard he was doubled over the steering wheel, and I was afraid we were going to crash. "You want to play this game, fine. But remember, you asked for it."

He stopped the car on the edge of the road again, undid his seatbelt, and leaned his face towards me. I gulped.

"Motorboat." He said, right before he stuffed his face between my boobs. The feeling of his face between my breasts should have been wonderful and intoxicating, but he was doing it so childishly, making the sounds and whipping his head back and forth faster than he should just made it comical. I had to struggle not to laugh. He pulled away from me and drove back on the interstate.

A bit red in the face, he said, "Next time I do that, it'll me more serious."

That sobered me up andbI got a rush that started at my nose and ended up at my hoo-ha. "Nemo." I said, pointing to a bumper sticker. My hands and other body parts are not going anywhere near him for the rest of this game.

"Oklahoma."

"Pen."

"I hate the letter Q." We drove for about thirty minutes before a car cut in front of us that had a magnet on the back that read "My child is an Honor Student at Quincy Middle School. Is yours?"

"Quincy!" he crowed.

"Red light."

"Stop sign."

"Turn lane."

"Undercarriage."

"Volkswagen."

"West."

"West? What is a west and why do you get to use it?"

He grinned. "The GPS says west."

I rolled my eyes. Realization hit that my letter was "X". I groaned. Crap. We drove for a while, and I kept my eyes peeled. Ranger was munching his fruit loudly, teasing me. I would have hit him, but I was concentrating too hard. We had just started to drive through a small town in the middle of Nowhereville, when I saw a sign.

"X-ray training!" I screeched.

Ranger jumped, my yell loud in the silence that had gathered while I was searching. I laughed manically, pumping my fist.

He shook his head. "Yams."

"Zoo! Ranger, can we go to the zoo? I want to go to the zoo!"

"Babe, this zoo only has twenty animals."

I gave him my puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

He sighed, turning the van into the nearly empty parking lot. I didn't notice a shiny black truck follow us in, because I was too busy yanking Ranger out of the car.

**A/N: I was looking back through all the stories, and I noticed so many stupid typo's. For that, I'm sorry. :/ I loved the reviews and suggestions you guys made, and I think i know what I'm going to do. You probably do too. Oh, and there will be more Ranger/Steph talk, it doesn't end there. I bought Janet's new book, Wicked Business yesterday, and read it. How did you guys like it?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

Ranger and I opened the door to the zoo and walked inside. There was a small gift shop and a counter with a bored looking teen behind it.

"Two tickets? Or are you guys together?" I looked behind us, confused, and I saw Lester and Tank standing there.

They grinned slightly and waved. "Hi guys…"

Ranger narrowed his eyes at them. "What are you doing here?"

Lester spoke before Tank could. "Well, things with Steph are always fun, but they're dangerous, too. So we figured if something _did _happen, we'd be your backup. And then you stopped at the zoo and Tank didn't want to stay in the car, so here we are!"

Tank was blushing and Lester was grinning. Ranger shook his head.

"The pretty lady and I are separate from the two bozos over there."

The teen, whose name tag read Derek, did something with the old fashioned cash register, opening it, and said "That'll be ten dollars."

Ranger handed it over and opened the door for me, the guys trailing along. The first thing I saw was a giant alligator. Lester moved to the opposite end of the enclosure, as far away from it as possible, and Tank pressed his nose up against the wire.

Ranger looked at me, but when I returned the look he hurried and glanced away. I raised my eyebrows and moved on. There were some birds in cages and ducks walking around. Scrounging up some quarters, I bought some food for them. I squealed with laughter as one ate right from my hand.

Ranger liked the wolves, and we could hardly tear Lester away from the snake house. Our little group was walking over a small wooden bridge when I heard Tank say, "Just do it, man. Suck it up." I was about to turn around to see what he was talking about when I felt a hand grab mine. Ranger slipped his fingers through mine and smiled down at me. I leaned against him and smiled back.

Finally making it across the bridge, we found ourselves in a petting zoo. There were two or three kids around, feeding goats out of the palm of their hands. One little girl's pigtail was getting munched on, and when her mom finally noticed she started freaking out. The petting zoo keeper rushed over and tried to help, but the pigtail was on its way to Goat Stomach Inc.

Ranger, Lester and Tank were preoccupied with the donkey, so I wandered over to the giraffe. He looked hungry, and I apparently have a soft spot for giraffes, because I spent the last of my change on a small bag of food. I was hand feeding him. He looked content. When he finally ambled over to his water, clearly dismissing me, I still had a fourth of the bag left.

Looking around, my eyes landing on a lonely looking pig lying in mud. I felt sympathy; I knew how he felt. So I walked over and stuck my hand through the bar and fed the pig. He was making snorting sounds and slobbering all over my hand. I stood up once he was done, wiping my hands on my jeans. Mary Lou would have slapped me, but she wasn't here, so it was all good. I noticed the latch on the gate to the pig's home was loose. I was going to be helpful and tell the guy who worked here, but yet again I found myself lying in mud.

The pig had been eating my shirt, and when I turned around he yanked me back. And I landed in mud. The pig looked startled for half a second before he went back to munching. I groaned. The whole point of this stupid road trip was to _stop_ landing in mud! Ranger's boots landed in my field of vision.

I scrunched my eyes closed and stayed very still, hoping that this was a dream. Maybe if I concentrated, I would poof myself away. Like Diesel. I heard two loud laughs that sounded like Lester and Tank, which means my poofing skills needed help.

I opened my eyes to see the keeper, a guy named Steve, looking down at me.

"What happened? Are you okay? Beanie always does this!" He glanced over at the pig. "Bad Beanie!" Returning his attention to me, he moved his hands over me to check if I was okay. He was getting a bit frisky, which Ranger noticed. One minute my "vitals" were being checked, and the next Steve was being lifted off me with a shark yank.

Ranger only glared at him. Lester and Tank were suddenly serious, arms crossed and stony expressions. Steve looked around and panicked.

"I'll go get my supervisor." He said hurriedly, sprinting away.

Ranger helped me up. I was giving my evil eye to Beanie. "I knew there was a reason I enjoyed eating bacon." I said maliciously. The pig squealed and ran into his little house. I guess pigs understand hate.

Half of my shirt was gone, showing off the abs Ranger had helped me to develop that were now covered in mud. Ranger obviously noticed. My hair was a big mud clump, my shoes were soaked in God knows what, and my jeans were brown. Mary Lou would've definitely killed me. The supervisor walked over, scolding Steve.

He clasped his hands behind his back and plastered a fake smile on his face. "I would like to extend my sincerest apologies for the behavior of Mr. Platt, and also for the inexcusable way this pig acted. Your trip is on the house today, and we hope you can enjoy the rest of your day and maybe come back again."

I grimaced. "Sure. Thanks."

Ranger, Lester, and Tank marched back to the office. I flipped the big off before following. The mother of the pigtail girl glared at me. I was feeling pissy, so I flipped her off too. She looked shocked. Lester saw and let out a bark of laughter. Tank looked at him questioningly, but he shook his head. Ranger kissed my head and grabbed my hand again.

When we got to the gift shop, I was handed five dollars as a refund. I gave it to Ranger. Tank bought a "Save the Alligator" sticker, and Lester bought a stuffed snake. When he announced that I had to stuff my fist in my mouth to stifle my laughter. It just sounded wrong. Ranger didn't get anything, and when he asked me if I wanted anything I declined. This was one part of the trip I didn't want to remember.

Derek, the counter boy, pointed us in the direction of a motel and gave me a foil blanket to sit on. I thanked him, he nodded, and we left. Lester and Tank got into their truck. Ranger helped me into my seat before going to talk to his men. I heard something about following at a distance and not to post and of those pictures on Facebook or it would be taken to the mats. They saluted. He narrowed his eyes and they got serious and said 'Yes, sir."

Ranger got in and we were off. He found the motel, called Freedom Motel. It was completely beige. I could feel my I.Q. dropping. I could feel my eyes drooping and my heartbeat slowing. I sluggishly looked at Ranger and he said, "Don't worry. It's just for one night."

We checked in and were given the key to a small room. It looked just like every other hotel room I'd seen. Bathroom, sink area, TV, and one small bed. I stopped short when I saw the bed, and Ranger slammed against me. He dropped the suitcase he held in order to wrap his arms around me so I didn't fall. I didn't fall, but he did get mud on himself.

He asked me why I stopped. I mumbled something about it being nothing. He raised his eyebrows and carried his suitcase in. I set mine down next to his, stared at the two of them next to each other, and moved mine over to the other side of the bed. Ranger rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to shower first or shall I?"

"Babe. You're the one covered in mud. You go first."

I looked him up and down. "You're covered in mud, too…"

He pushed me into the bathroom and shut the door. Calling out from the other side, he told me he was going to get some dinner. I yelled back that there was some money in my suitcase, and to use that. Silence. I guess not. Sheesh. Mr. Chivalry strikes again.

I took my shower, making sure that the mud was out of everywhere. I wrapped a towel around me. I didn't realize that Ranger was back, with Lester and Tank and dinner, but I bumped into him. He managed to keep the food from dropping. I wasn't so lucky. I hit the floor and the towel fell away.

Ranger froze. I froze. Lester and Tank froze. For the second time today, I scrunched my eyes closed and hoped my poofing skills had gotten better. I felt arms circle my waist, picking me up. The towel was again wrapped.

I opened my eyes a fraction of an inch. Lester and Tank were turned around with their hands over their eyes. Ranger was the one who did the towel wrapping. Thank God. Taking a deep breath, I snatched my pajamas, the ones with Batman on them, and retreated back to the bathroom.

I checked myself. At least I had looked good, although this was not how I pictured Ranger first seeing me naked on this trip. I slipped the pajamas on, brushed my hair, and viciously scrubbed my teeth, in case of any kisses, with the shower, because the sink was on the other side of the door and I didn't want to go out there yet. I dried the bathroom floor, folded my dirty clothes, made a couple toilet paper hats, and rearranged the cheap motel shampoo. Eventually the thought that Ranger would want to shower crossed my mind, so I walked out with my head held high.

Tank and Lester were focused on their food, their cheeks red. Ranger had a small smile on his face, like when the cat finally caught the mouse. He looked me up and down, taking in the pajamas. The smile grew.

"Nice pajamas." He said. Tank glanced at me briefly, a smile twitching on his lips. Lester stayed focused. I noticed that the food consisted of subway and fruit. Not bad. I settled down on the bed cross legged, unwrapping the sandwich.

Ranger stood up, heading towards the shower. "Babe."

I blushed. Lester coughed. Tank winced. I tried to make small talk with the guys, but they wouldn't cooperate. After a while, I gave up. They left a couple of minutes after my talking ceased, stopping at the door and giving me a hopeful look. It took me a second, but I finally realized they were waiting for me to hug them. I laughed and obliged.

Locking the door after them, I climbed into the cheap bed and flipped through the whole twenty channels on the TV. Nothing. I turned it off, checking the time. 10:40. Wow, maybe I had spent more time stalling in the bathroom than I had meant to.

Ranger emerged in his black boxers, holding a deck of UNO cards. I wasn't sure what to say first. I settled on saying 'Holy crap!' in my head and "UNO?" out loud.

He shrugged. "Only if you want to."

"Sure, why not."

We played a couple of games, Ranger the winner in both. I started to nod off around 11:15. Ranger put the cards in the box, setting them on the table and turning the lights off. I was awake long enough to feel him kiss my cheek and wrap me in his arms. I cuddled into him, falling to sleep easier than I had in a while.

I thought I heard him whisper "I love you, Babe." before there was silence. I smiled into him and thought, "I love you, too, Batman."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

The next morning, Ranger and I were on the road. Music was softly playing on the radio, a song called "Sweeter" by Gavin DeGraw. He was in his zone, focused on the road. I was sulking. Or I was trying to, anyway. The song was slowly bringing my mood up, no matter how hard I tried to stay angry.

I was angry because this morning, Tank and Lester had banged on the door at 6:30. While that might be normal for Ranger, that is not normal for me. This was supposed to be my vacation, not a "Get up at six and run" daily activity. Unfortunately for me, I was awake and running. I was so mad, in fact, that I used that and outrun all the guys. And trust me, I outran them. They didn't let me.

When I got back to the motel, I stripped and took a shower. My heart was still pumping fast. Hearing the door open, I quickly shut the water off and dressed. I brushed my teeth and got packed. Ranger took a shower while I was doing that, and I assumed the two soon to be dead Merry Men were, too.

I walked down the street, stopping at a small store to get coffee and an apple Danish. Walking back, I saw Ranger carting his suitcase to the van and Lester and Tank doing the same. There was a small girl sucking her thumb, eyes wide, looking at Tank. Her mom came running out of a room, her hair up in curlers, in a bathrobe. She grabbed the girls hand and stopped, looking Tank up and down. I could hear her flirting. It was disgusting.

Tank looked like he was trying to keep a polite smile on his face. I was still angry with him, so I got my phone out and discreetly started filming. I laughed to myself, stopped the video and walked over there. Throwing my arms around his neck, I placed a big smackaroo kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, hot stuff. Who's this?"

The woman looked shocked. She muttered apologies and ran back to her room with the small girl in tow.

Tank's relief obviously showed on his face. "Thank you, Bomber! I was afraid honey was going to start oozing from her pores."

I gave him a wicked smile. "Don't thank me yet, 'hot stuff'. Wait until we get back, and then tell me if you still want to be grateful to me."

He narrowed his eyes. "What does that mean?"

I turned on my heel and hauled myself up into the van. I gave him a wink as I shut the door. I was still angry at Lester and Ranger, but I figured my anger would dissipate as I watched the video a good few hundred times.

So here I was, driving down the road with Ranger, bopping my head with the music. Every time I looked at Ranger, it seemed like his smile grew wider. I tried to ignore him, and concentrate on my video. I would giggle every so often, prompting the smile to grow. Eventually I looked over at him.

"Why are you smiling? You're sitting here, driving, doing nothing, and you keep smiling! Is whatever you're thinking about really that funny?"

His eyes darkened. "Babe. When you're sitting a foot and a half away from me, I don't think I'd describe my thoughts as _funny_."

I blushed. God, what was with me blushing? I hadn't blushed around Morelli since I was sixteen. "Then why are you smiling?"

"Because you giggle every ten minutes, and your laughter is something that makes me smile. It's beautiful."

I tried to remember I was mad. It wasn't working. Stupid Batman and his abilities to compliment a girl within an inch of their life. I sighed. "Thank you. Your laugh definitely brightens my day, too."

He was back to silent mode. Rolling my eyes, I went back to watching the video. Now I was only upset with Lester. I giggled again as I thought about how I could extract my revenge on him. I saw the smile reappear on Rangers face.

We drove for about three hours, in silence, while I stewed about when we could talk about the rest of our feelings. I was ready to hit the sheets with Ranger, but I wasn't going to until we talked about everything and got our feelings sorted. I was just dozing off when I heard a loud popping sound. Jolting awake, I twisted in my seat to see Tank and Lester's car bumping to the side of the road. They had a flat.

Ranger heaved a sigh. I knew he was internally struggling with himself. Half of him wanted to keep driving, and the other half felt he had a duty to get out and help him. He thunked his head against the steering wheel. It seems like duty won.

He stepped out of the car with me on his heels. "Babe, you can stay in the car. It's just a flat tire."

"That's okay. I'll stay."

He shrugged, walking over to the guys and their flat tire. He was crouched to look, and my eyes glazed over. Maybe I could fool around before we talk. That wouldn't be horrible, would it? It's not like we were getting engaged. It was just a form of sex. You can't let a butt like that go to waste. I heard the guys laughing. Crap. Did I say that out loud? I was blushing again.

Turning to go back to the car, an idea struck me. I smiled.

"Hey, Lester," I said, crouching next to him. "I want to test my tire skills." In a lower voice, practically a whisper, I murmured, "You know, you have a pretty nice ass too. Maybe I made the wrong choice in men." I knew Ranger had heard me, but I also knew he saw the twinkle of mischief in my eyes, meaning I was up to something.

Lester sat back, stunned. He looked me up and down. A slow smile was starting to creep on his face. "What made you think this, Beautiful? I always knew you'd be good with a guy like me, but Ranger was always slowing you down."

I saw Ranger clench his fists and narrow his eyes. I mentally thunked my forehead. I hadn't meant to get the poor guy in trouble, but he was doing it to himself.

I leaned close. "How about we go over there to find some 'spare parts', hmm?"

He was up like a bullet, pulling me up with him. I called out to Ranger that we were going to find some spare parts. We were walking close to a deep ditch, covered with shrubbery and who knows what else. I stopped and turned to him. I pulled him close to me and walked him backwards, getting him close to the edge of the dirt without his knowledge.

Maybe having boobs _did_ come in handy. He looked over my shoulder. "Won't Ranger see?"

I nipped at his ear. Five feet. Four feet. "Do you care? Am I not worth it?"

"Of course you are, Bea-" His words were cut short as his foot slipped and he disappeared in the greenery. I busted out laughing, holding my knees with tears running down my face. I heard swearing from the bushes, getting louder as he realized he was stuck. Ranger came up to me and slipped an arm around my waist. Handing me my phone, he informed me that he got it on video for me to watch whenever I wanted.

Tank was leaning against the truck with one hand, his booming laugh echoing off the trees that lined the road. The last of my giggles faded away just as Lester emerged. He was red in the face with brambles and twigs stuck everywhere. He was glaring at me. I turned on my heel and walked away just like I did with Tank.

"That's what you get for making me run on my vacation. Oh, and you might want to clean up a little. I think you have bird... droppings in your hair."

He started shrieking "Get it out! Get it out!" and jumping around. Both of the guys started laughing again at that. I smiled when I got back into the van, my bad mood completely gone. I savored the victories, awaiting with glee the other Merry Men's reactions when they saw the videos.

In a couple of minutes, we were off again. Ranger and I talked about our families, our friends, our childhood as we drove. I learned a lot about him, and he a lot about me. When I asked him why he didn't know it already, he seemed to know weverything else, he looked at me and said, "You can't get personal opinions from a website, Babe."

"So where do you see us going? Are we in a relationship?" I asked him.

"I would hope we're in a relationship. I don't hold hands with just anyone." As he said that, I remembered my doodles.

Reaching behind me for them and opening the bag with a pop, I continued, "So. Don't most people in a relationship celebrate their love for each other? Not in a party way either. Usually somewhere private and they have no clothes on. I feel like I know a lot about you, and you know maybe too much about me. And if I remember correctly, you were fantastic in bed. And I think I remember it pretty clearly. I remember _everything_ about that night clearly. Something large in particular." I knew I was teasing him, and I knew that I was going to regret it, but I couldn't help myself. I think it was the doodles. I think they gave me encouragement.

He slowly turned his head in my direction. I gulped. "I remember a few things about that night myself. I hope we can have a repeat performance very soon."

Damn it all. He always gets the upper hand! No matter what I do! I would have to work harder next time. It was getting close to one O'clock and the sun was shining. Ranger turned into a driveway with a sign that said "Cold Water Springs". I grew excited. I had never been to any kind of Spring before, and I was used to cold.

We pulled into the parking lot and I grabbed one of my bathing suits and a towel. "Let's go you slow poke!" He laughed and allowed me to pull him again. I stepped into the bathroom to change, and when I stepped back out Ranger eyed me. I was wearing a tiny maroon string bikini. He moved closer, like a tiger waiting to catch its prey. My breath stuck in my throat as his hands settled on my waist.

Leaning closer to me, he softly pressed his lips against mine. My hands involuntarily went to his hard abs and from there around his neck. He pulled me flat to him, deepening the kiss. His hands settled on my butt.

"Ahem. While I'm sure you guys would love to continue, I want to go now, and there are two young boys staring at you. One's looking at Steph, and I think the other looks like he wants to be taking notes." Tanks deep voice cut into our fun.

I broke apart from him, flushed. Glancing at the two young boys, I saw they were more like sixteen. Ranger glared at Tank.

When we were all in the proper swimming attire and ready to go, we started down towards the Springs. There were slides and diving boards and ropes to swing from. Lester and Tank ran to the diving boards and jumped right in. Ranger pulled my off to the more lazy side of things, where we rented two inner tubes and floated in the still water.

I said I knew cold, but it still took me fifteen minutes to get myself in the water. It was freezing. I don't know how some people could stand it. Ranger and I held hands as we floated and talked some more. We could hear Lester and Tank some ways away, playing with the tiny children, but they were giving us our privacy. I appreciated it, just like Ranger did, I'm sure.

As we floated I noticed small fishes and shiny rocks. We explored, and he suggested that one day we could go kayaking or something. I agreed that kayaking sounded fun.

After a while, Ranger and I went and swam down the river and back, and then jumped off the ropes and I slid down the slide, laughing. It was a great day, and a lot of fun. Plus it didn't hurt that I got to see Ranger in swim trunks. I was a lucky girl to have a boyfriend with such a rockin' body.

I had turned that over in my head, the word boyfriend. At first I thought it was weird, but eventually I grew used to it, and now every time I thought of me and Ranger as a couple, I got warm fuzzies.

When the sun started setting, the boys and I gathered our stuff and changed.

"Did you liked the Springs, Babe? I know you said you'd never been before."

"I loved it! It was freezing, but I feel so rejuvenated!" I smiled as I said it, remembering how Ranger had pulled me into his inner tube when I mentioned I was cold. That warmed me up quickly.

Ranger and I stopped and ate at a small town diner, alone. Lester and Tank went to find a McDonald's. Seeing Ranger without his men is different. I know he cares about them a lot, but I wondered how long it had been since he went off without them.

We ate in comforting silence, at the same side of the booth. A lot of older couples looked at us and smiled. I guess they could tell how in love we were. I paid the bill this time, ignoring Ranger's objections. The cashier was a woman and knew how awkward some people get when the guy pays for everything, so she sided with me and didn't touch Ranger's money.

We found an overnight rest stop, where we parked the van. Ranger helped me make a small bed out of the backseat and climbed under the sleeping bag that we opened all the way up with me. Too tired to do anything tonight, I murmured that I loved him. He held me tighter and said he loved me, too.

So far, this vacation was going better than I could have hoped.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

The next morning, I crammed myself into a new change of clothes and left the van to try and find some coffee. Walking to the vending machine, I sneaked a Snickers bar, too. Carrying them both back to the van, I saw Ranger already had a cup of coffee and was sitting in the seat, ready to hit the road.

"It's just us today, Babe. Lester and Tank wanted to see the Canyons."

I secretly thought it was because they didn't want me to push them into another bush, but if that was their excuse... "Sounds like fun. What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to wait and kayak when they're back, since it's safer, but until then we can do whatever you'd like."

"We can just drive until we find someplace." I ate my snickers bar, talking to Ranger about polotics and education and everything else I could think of. He was actually nice to talk to. He didn't try to out-yell me, which was an interesting change. We passed farms, apple orchards, fruit stands.

The first farm we came to was run by a man that looked to be late forty's, early fifty's. We introduced ourselves.

"My name is Hank Debusse. I've had this farm since I was twenty four, bought the land for cheap. Those were the good days. I bought two of every animal I wanted, and now I have a huge succesful farm. Ya'll are welcome to look around. I always enjoy it when a young couple can find some inexpensive fun. Help yourself to any of the fruit, I have too much of it anyhow."

I smiled when he said young couple. It was always nice to be called young. Ranger and I pet the horses, mooed at the cows- welll I actually did the mooing, he thought it was stupid. It wasn't stupid when it mooed back, was it? -and walked hand in hand through the fruit trees. He had every kind of fruit I had ever known about and more I didn't. I was guessing by the size and number of animals he had, this farm probably fed the entire county.

About noon, Ranger and I were sitting underneath an apple tree, sharing the comfortable silence, him gazing up and me glaring at the pigs behind the fence twenty feet away.

"Babe, it was one rouge petting zoo pig. You don't have to take it out on the whole species."

I heard a chuckle from behind us. Turning, I saw a woman with red hair and curls to rival mine. Her hair was shoulder length, her skin was pale despite living on a farm, and her eyes were green.

"Sorry to interrupt, I couldn't help over hearing." She had a slight Irish accent. Holding out a tray full of sandwhiches, she said, "Peace offering?"

I smiled and took the tray, setting it down. "Would you like to join us? I may be from Jersey, but I still can't eat all of these sandwiches. And he," I motioned my hand towards Ranger, "doesn't like to ruin his healthy temple."

She laughed. "Sure. This is my da's farm. My mother's pure Irish, and he met her when he was traveling. I guess the farm does well. She lives over there still, and I lived with her since I was fourteen. Then one day, she asked if I would like to go to America and live with my father for awhile. It was sudden, but of course I said yes. I'm eighteen now, and my accent is almost gone."

"Why do you think it lasted so long?" I wondered.

"Probably because I don't leave the farm too often. I never needed to. I have a friend in the animals, and da is good company. He has so many stories." Her face lit up. "Oh, I am so sorry! I haven't even introduced myself yet! My name is Nessa."

"My name is Stephanie. This is Carlos, but everyone calls him Ranger." I told her. I was expecting Ranger to say something about how he would like to talk for himself, but he looked content just watching and listening to us.

"Ranger... Why Ranger? What's the story behind that?" Nessa leaned forward, eyes bright.

I looked to Ranger, but he gave a small shake of his head and motioned for me to continue before wrapping his arm around my waist again. "He was in the army, and it just stuck. Special Forces." I kissed him quickly.

Nessa looked like she was trying to keep an "awww" from escaping. "How long have you two been together? If you don't mind me asking."

"No, not at all. We've actually only been together officially for... Two days? But our relationship was complicated." I figured she wouldn't want the story, but she showed no sign of speaking.

"I was in an on again off again relationship with a guy named Joe, but I had feelings for Ranger at the same time. The problem was, I couldn't decide which one I liked more. I didn't want to hurt either of them. Eventually I realized that my relationship with Joe wasn't a healthy one, because he kept trying to change me and hold me back. So I broke it off with him after I asked Ranger to go on this road trip with me."

She nodded. "Da says I wasn't allowed to date until I was eighteen, but now that I am..." She shrugged. "I just haven't felt the need to. I know I'm not going to find true love like you guys have for a while, and I'm content on the farm for now."

I blinked. "True love?"

Nessa looked shocked. "You can't tell? I can see it in both of your eyes. Mr. Ranger's had this sad look when you were talking about Mr. Joe, but as soon as you mentioned him he got this look. I know I may be young, but I see true love when it's there. It's the look my da gets everytime he talks about my Mamaí."

I filed it away for later inspection. The three of us ate our sandwiches, talking.

I stood up after an hour or so. "Well, we need to be off. Thank you for the sandwiches, and tell your dad we appreciate him letting us wander around. And thank you for sharing your stories with us."

She smiled. "Thank you for listening and sharing your stories with me. Have fun on the rest of your trip!"

We weaved our way through the trees back to the gate and then to the van. "She was an interesting person." I said.

Ranger nodded. "It was nice to listen to you two talk."

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. "Did you believe what she said about true love?"

"I believed it from the moment I looked at you in that diner." He said softly.

I threw myself at him, hugging him tight. "I love you."

"And I love you."

When we were in the apple orchard, a bird landed on my finger. I loved it, Ranger took a picture, and the bird pecked my hand. I now have a towel from the orcahrd owner wrapped around my hand and twenty free apples in the backseat. I'm already planning on what to do to Lester and Tank with them. Ranger's sulking because he can't hold my hand.

The fruit stand was an experience I will never forget. We were on our way to New York from the farm in Ohio, and I noticed a fruit stand on the side of the road. They were selling tomatoes and peaches. I started to argue with Ranger that tomatoes were a vegetable, not a fruit, no matter what anybody said. Vegetables were gross, therefore tomaotes were a vegatable.

He was listening to me patiently, agreeing. "You know what? Pull up to that fruit stand. I feel like squishing things." I told him, huffing.

Ranger gave a barely audible sigh as he stopped the van on the shoulder.

I jumped out and walked to the lady behind the stand, who was knitting. "Hello. How much is your fruit?"

The lady's silver hair moved over her shoulders as she looked up at me from her needles. "Ten cents. Per fruit, of course."

I pulled out a dollar. "I'll take ten tomatoes, please."

She peered at me through her glasses. "Mmm." Handing me the tomatoes, she went back to knitting. I noticed her eyes were flickering between me, Ranger, the tomatoes, and her knitting. An evil idea started forming.

I took a tomatoe out of the bag, palmed it, and threw it at Ranger. It splattered against his shirt.

I swear, everyone froze. The knitting needles stopped clacking, Ranger stopped breathing, and I raised my eyebrows at him. It seemed like he was taking a moment to collect himself. Walking over to the lady, he took out a dollar as well.

"I'll take ten tomatoes, please." The lady had a small smile on her face when she handed over the "fruit". My eyes widened. Crap! This is what i get for playing with the wolf.

I beaned him on the head before he had a chance to turn around. He set the bag down slowly, taking a tomatoe in each hand. His arm flicked out and I had an instant salsa on my pants. Before I could blink, another one had hit me. Grabbing one myself, I threw it at him. The things were fkying and smacking one another and eventually we ran out of them.

The old lady was cackling, clearly enjoying herself. "That was the best use of my tomatoes I have ever seen. Ya'll are welcome to buy my fruit anytime you want to."

Ranger and I smiled at each other. "Do you know who won the battle?" I asked.

He looked at the woman. "It looks like a tie to me." She said.

Thanking the woman for the tomatoes, I stripped to my undershirt and ruined pants, Ranger took his shirt off, and we settled in the van. I have to admit, I wasn't upset about him taking his shirt off. As a matter of fact, I was a little dissapointed he put a new one back on.

Finding a hotel was easy that night. We unpacked in our room and looked around. It was about the same as the last one we stayed in. Feeling emboldend from the tomatoe escapade, I headed to the shower. Calling over my shoulder, I said, "I'm taking a shower. You're welcome to help me get off the mess you created."

His eyes darkened as he looked me up and down, but he said nothing. I took my time, washing and conditioning my hair, scrubbing my body and face, and shaving what little hair had grown back. I brushed my teeth and my hair and spritzed perfume on. Tonight was the night I was going to get Batman. I put on some of my new panties and a new bra, sliding on the silky pajamas on top of them.

I was under the coveres when Ranger emerged from the shower in his boxers. I watched him as he brushed his teeth and hair and then walked towards the bed. He clicked all the lamps off as he went, shutting the TV off and locking the door.

"I don't want any interruptions." He said. I felt nervous butterflies in my stomach as he said that. He crawled into bed next to me, looking my in the eyes and slipping his arm around me. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I think actions speak louder than words."

**A/N: "Da" is what the Irish call their fathers. "Mamaí" is what they call their mothers. Yeah, so, I don't write lemons... I'm not good at them (probably) and I would be pretty embarrased if they sucked, so you guys will have to use your imaginations. I hope you liked the day without the boys, I think the next chapter will be New York with some Merry Men, sometimes without, and then the chapter after that will be kayak and something else. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

I groaned. "I don't even know if that was worth it. I hope you don't plan on me walking anytime soon."

I heard Ranger chuckle. "Babe."

Hauling myself out of bed, I showered and got dressed, sitting whenever I could. Mystery Man is no longer a mystery.

"You know, we're only a little bit outside of New York. Why don't we go there? We could walk to it." Ranger said.

I debated. New York has designer purses. And New York style pizza. But I would be walking. And I don't think I'll be able to walk. I wonder if wheelchairs could be rented?

Ranger laughed. "Babe."

Crap, I said that out loud. "Is that all you can say? Sheesh."

He grabbed the bags and set them in the car. I huffed and followed him. "New York it is."

As we drove, I got more excited. Even though I lived fairly close to it, I had never been there. And now I was. Thank God I had the money I saved since I was in college just for this day. Actually... It was my retirement money, but I figured New York was more important.

Ranger pulled into a parking lot and got out. I pocketed the credit card that was connected to my "retirement" fund. "Let's do this!" I figured if I didn't get something for Connie and Lula and Mary Lou, they would kill me, so as soon as I saw a Gucci store, I rushed in. Boots for Lula, a tote for Mary Lou, and a pantsuit for Connie. The bank account had just lost about a thousand dollars. Surprisingly, I didn't care.

I sucked in a breath when I saw a huge Banana Republic store. My legs were killing me, curse Ranger. I knew I was going to spend forever in that store. As soon as I glimpsed the clothes, everything else disappeared and I went into shopping mode. I shopped, and I shopped some more. Lester and Tank showed up somewhere near the shoes. My eyes brightened. "Perfect! You guys can help me with the bags!"

"Babe, I've never seen you spend so much money so... happily." Ranger said when I got to the cash register. Lester and Tank nodded vigerously.

"This is _Banana Republic._ Have some respect." I told them, handing over the bags. The cashier smiled at me. She understood.

From there we went to Victoria's Secret, where the guys got a strange detatched look. I hear Lester murmer to Tank, "He better be paying us for this."

"This is your vacation. You are _choosing_ to come along." Ranger hissed back.

I giggled, handing more bags from the Gap, Bloomingdales, Abercrombie & Fitch, Barnys Warehouse, and Tommy Hilfiger. I could barely see the guys over the mountain of bags.

"Why don't we deposit these at the car, and then go get something to eat?" Said a voice muffled by bags. I think it was Ranger.

I looked around. "On one condition. One day, you have to take me back here so I can get more stuff."

The bags were walking towards the cars, so I took that as a yes. I clapped my hands and squealed. I _loved_ New York. This was a great idea, and so worth the pain. And money.

We decided to go to the A.G Kitchen for lunch. We were seated by a nice looking waiter who was paying special attention to me. I normally would've been exasperated at the man, but the looks Ranger and the guys were giving him were just amusing me.

"Welcome to A.G. Kitchen, ma'am and sirs. How may I help you today?" He was looking at me, slightly turned away from Ranger, who was sitting opposite me with Tank next to him. I was sitting with Lester.

Ranger's eyes narrowed. "Uhm, I'd like a cocktail, please. Something fruity. Surprise me." The waiter, whose name was Allan, got a boyish grin at that.

"I'm full of suprises." He said, winking. I stifled my laughter, smiling pleasantly.

Ranger cleared his throat, glaring at the boy. Allan turned. "Yes?"

Lester's eyes got wide and Tank looked as if he was praying.

"I'll take a beer. These gentleman will too."

Allan wrote it down and turned back to me, grin back in place. "I'll be right back with your drinks, pretty lady."

I continued my smiling until he turned the corner. Then I burst out laughing. Heads turned. I dropped my head into my arms to muffle the sound.

Ranger was glaring at the table, and the guys were snickering. "Shut up." He muttered.

"Jeez, boss, I would've thought you'd punch him."

"In a public restaurant? No. But maybe..." He trailed off as Allan bounced back to the table, smiling wide.

He set a strawberry daquiri down in front of me. "I didn't know if you'd like this, but I think I can tell you're a fun loving woman. Enjoy." He practically tossed the beers at the table. "Does the pretty lady know what she wants?"

I glanced at the table. "Allan, is it?"

He nodded.

"You didn't give us menus."

He looked at the table and blushed. "Oh. Right. I-I was distracted by your beauty. It's comparable to the sun on a cloudy day, a flower just blooming for Spring, a-"

Ranger cut him off by standing up and grabbing him by the neck of his shirt. All the heads in the restaurant whipped towards us. "While I take it as a compliment that you're flirting with my girlfriend, you need to stop. Now. Or I will make you stop."

Allan's mouth dropped open and then closed again. "I'm sorry, sir."

Ranger set him down and settled back into the booth. "The menus, please."

He turned and ran back to the back. When our menues were brought to us, it was by an older woman wearing something high priced and classy. I assumed it was the manager.

"I am deeply sorry for what happened here today. I hope it won't affect you coming back. Please enjoy your drinks, they're on the house."

The rest of the lunch went smoothly. We ate, paid the bill, and walked back to the van. I couldn't help but smiling when I saw all my bags.

Ranger and I then went off and walked through some parks, visiting the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site.

"You know, she really has inspired me. She was a great woman. Of course, I could never become "First Lady of the World"."

Ranger turned to me, still holding my hand. He winked. "You can be anything you set your mind to."

The parks speaker started to play "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen. I smiled to myself, looking around at the beautiful scenery. Suddenly I found myself being twirled around. Ranger was twirling me! I was dancing down a park sidewalk... In New York. I could feel myself start to blush. All the old couples were looking at us, smiling. The young couples rolled their eyes, but the women were obviously wanting their guys to join in.

Then an old man hobbled next to us with his wife. She looked so happy in that moment that I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face.

All around us, couples were joining in and dancing. Bystanders were taking pictures, and for once I didn't care that there was a possibility I could be in the newspaper. Better this than another exploding building.

The song ended and Ranger bowed to me. I curtsied, feeling ridiculous. Grabbing my hand again, we continued to walk. Eventually we came back ot the van. Lester and Tank were leaning against the truck door, talking in low voices.

Ranger helped me up into the van, closing the door and settling himself in the front seat. "Well today was... Interesting."

"Yeah, interesting."

"I love you."

"I love you too..."

"I love you more."

"Hah! Doubt it."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I love you most."

He glanced at me. "I love you more than most."

"Well that's not fair. I love you more than tastycakes and cheese doodles." I said. I had gotten him. He couldn't beat that.

"I love you more than I love to be healthy."

Silence. "Damn."

His face was smug. "I love you. A lot."

"I love you too. A lot." I smiled at him. "Thank you for today. And last night. And that one night a long time ago. And saving me. And caring about me. And not killing my grandma. And for letting me be one of the guys with your men."

"Thank you for being you." He pulled out of the parking lot, turning towards another hotel on the outskirts of New York. "Since you love me so much, how about a repeat performance of last night?"

I pretended to think about it. "Hmm... I don't know, I'm still pretty sore, but I guess we can..."

I was interrupted by a kiss. A long one. We broke apart, my face red and short of breath. "Are you carrying your gun?"

His eyes were twinkling. "There are some things a woman should find out for herself."

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. :( I'm mad at myself and I swear you'll get the next chapter ASAP. We all know the last line belongs to Janet, not trying to steal (;**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

I woke up slowly, stretching. I felt the ache just as I saw Ranger next to me. His arm was thrown across my stomach, fingers curled slightly. He was breathing softly. Smiling as I realized he was finally my boyfriend, I slid out of bed, trying not to jostle him. I stepped into the shower, scrubbing down. Today was our last day of vacation fun. It had been the best vacation I'd had since I was a little girl and Valerie threw up on the teacups at Disney. Now that was fun.

Ranger was awake and sipping coffee when I walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a skirt and blouse. He eyed me, focusing on parts of me a little longer than others.

"Pretty."

"Thank you. What are the plans for today?"

"You should probably put a bathing suit on under there, we're going to go kayaking at the beach. Lester and Tank will be there. Maybe you can pull another prank on them."

I laughed. "Maybe so."

I changed out of my underwear and into my swimwear while Ranger showered. Hearing a knock at the door, I rushed to open it, holding the strings together with my hand. It was Tank and Lester, and they held Dunkin' Donuts coffee and donuts.

"You two are gods." I gushed, double knotting the strings and grabbing my coffee. They smiled. Ranger walked out of the bathroom to me eating a donut and the guys staring whistfully.

"After you two finish ogling that donut, we can go." He said.

The bags were in the van, the windows were down, the radio was blasting, and my stomach didn't have any rolls. Life was good. We drove down a dirt road, bumping on the rocks. Tank and Lester were behind us, looking annoyed. I guess their truck didn't come with off roading wheels.

An old man was sitting behind an old desk, smoking an old pipe with what smelled like old tabacco. He had a beard that rested on his beer gut stomach, glasses smeared with grime, and teeth that were rotted. I took a small step back. Ranger told the guy he wanted to rent two kayaks, and the guys didn't move except his eyes. They searched Ranger over, narrowing. With a jerk, he pulled out a reciept, and pointed to two kayaks that shined, without a crack in them. I guess he took better care of them than himself. Ranger forked over the money, grabbing both of the boats, one on each shoulder and headed down to the water. Tank and Lester grabbed life vests. I was carrying the bag full of snacks and sunscreen.

The river was a light blue, so clear we could see to the bottom. Ranger set one of the kayaks down, and Lester and Tank settled in. I was biting my lip to keep from laughing. When they both were in it, there was only an inch seperating the top of the boat and the water. I was sure they were going to capsize at least once.

Ranger slowly lowered the other one into the water, and grabbed my hand to help me in. The kayak tipped, and I was wet.

"Shit! Why the heck does this always happen to me?!" I shrieked. Lester and Tank were hunched over, their shoulders shaking. I narrowed my eyes, slouched my way over to them, and tipped them over. Their laughter cut off with a bubbly "Urk!" I giggled, louder once I saw them emerge. Their little hair was plastered to their forehead, their faces were grim, and their clothes were soaked.

Ranger was doubled over, laughing so hard no noise was coming out. Tank and Lester flipped him the bird, and ran over to me. My eyes widened.

"No! Don't you dare touch me! If you dunk me under I swear I'll-" I was cut off by water. Lester had my arms behind my back, and Tank grabbed me. Before I could punch him, I was being thrown through the air, landing with a loud splash. I came up gasping, and while I expected Ranger to be beating them up, he was sitting in mud, his head between his legs, laughter booming off the trees. I swear, sometimes I hate men.

I swam my way towards the shallow end, shuffling out of the water. Looking at the boys, I murmured, "This is war." That caused them to double over again.

My eyes narrowed, and I scooped the now sopping snack bag out of the water. Thank God the cheese doodles were safe.

After we were settled in the boats, and had been paddling down the river silently for fifteen minutes, me with my hair dripping down my back and my hands going from the cheese doodle bag to my mouth, Ranger finally spoke.

"Babe. You're making the water orange from the cheese doodles."

My answer was to glare. If I wanted to wash my hands in the water, I could. He fell silent. Another ten minutes down the river and I spotted my revenge, in the form of a branch.

"Hey, Lester. I'm sorry I tipped you guys over." I said, softly.

They looked at me, not paying attention to where they were paddling. The river helped to carry them over to the branch. Ranger wisely stayed silent.

"Well it's okay, Beautiful. We're sorry for tossing you in the water." Tank nodded sadly.

"Yeah, bomber. I hope the time at the beach will be better."

I smiled. "Thanks, guys. See you up river, once you get yourself out of that." I pointed. Their heads turned to find a branch. Lester shrieked, and Tank's head dropped.

"Well played." He said.

I beamed.

Ranger sighed as soon as we were out of earshot. I turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. "What?"

He just looked at me.

"What?!"

He held his arms out, waiting. It was my turn to sigh. I couldn't resist him. Snuggling up to his chest, feeling the rhythm of his arms moving back and forth, paddling, soon lulled me into sleep.

"I don't want to go to school, mom. I'm comfy." I heard soft laughter.

"It's me, babe. I have to get up so we can get the kayak back."

I grumbled my way to my feet. "Fine. But you owe me one."

Ranger put the kayak back, and we sat in the van holding hands until I spotted Lester and Tank dragging their kayak up the hill and drop it at the foot of the desk. The old man said something, but Tank just glared. They were sopping wet and had scratched all over them. Ah, revenge is sweet.

Lester flipped me off, and Tank shook his head at me before they got in their truck. I couldn't stop laughing. This was so much fun!

**A/N: Holllllly Crapppp guys! Janet Evanovich tweeted me! I think I went numb there for about 46 seconds. My life is complete, I can die happy now. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich. I just like to use them for my own evil, sometimes.**

I could see the outline of Tank and Lester in the truck in front of us. The happiness from pranking them was starting to wear off, and now I was worried. There are plenty of people at the beach, I reassured myself. They can't do anything. But I knew I was fooling myself. Of course they could do something! One look at someone and that person would either melt or cower in fear. There would be no one to help me except Ranger. A truce! I need a truce!

Glancing at Ranger, I slowly moved my hand up. I saw his eye twitch for just a second. "You know last night?" I applied pressure. The eyes widened. "I was thinking maybe I could have somewhat of a repeat here... If you're willing to help me stay safe from any pranks they pull." His jaw was clenched, and I saw it took all of his effort to think about it.

A grunt was the only answer I got.

The beach was hot, the sand was white, and the ocean was blue. It was a perfect day to go to the beach. I wondered if Ranger oozed luck like Diesel. I hopped down, grabbing the emergency bag of snacks and sunscreen, along with water. Ranger grabbed the tubes I'd made him stop to get, so I could float.

Ranger and I found a spot close to the water, while Tank And Lester threw their stuff down in the first spot they saw and ran to the oceans edge, plowing through the waves. I pulled my little sundress off, drawing looks from men fourteen to ninety, and a few jealous ones from older women. Ranger didn't look jealous at all. In fact, he was smiling. I shot him a confused look, to which he stood up and pulled his shirt off. I could practically feel the air being sucked into the womens mouths, and now it was time for the men to look angry.

One woman even walked past him and winked. I huffed, grabbing him and kissing him full on the mouth. She blushed and looked down. I smirked. Just as I was going to turn around, water was poured on me. Salty water got into my mouth and nose and eyes, causing me to shriek. Lester and Tank were grinning, holding huge buckets over their heads. They gave them back to the little boy who was laughing.

"Thanks, little dude." Lester said. My eyes narrowed.

"I thought we had a deal!" I said to Ranger. He got a thoughtful look on his face.

"I didn't see them. We'll get them back, I promise. But first, let's go swim."

I took the hand that was offered to me, glaring at the guys. "I will destroy you. Be watching."

I grabbed the floating tube, settling myself in it. Ranger floated next to me, his hand still holding mine. I heared him humming, but I didn't recognize it. He started to sing softly.

_"And nothing's gonna stop me but devine intervention, I reckon it's again my turn, to win some, or learn some." _He looked me in the eyues as he sang the next part. _"But I won't hesitate, no more, no more, it cannot wait, I'm yours..." _He went back to humming.

I smiled and pulled his tube as close as I could get it and kissed him. "I was always yours."

I could hear Tank and Lester splashing a few yards away. They were such kids. "So how are we going to get them back?"

Ranger smiled mischievously. "I have an idea."

He slipped out of his innertube, pulling me out with him. He whispered to me what he had in mind, smiling. My eyes widened. "Holy crap. No wonder you're the boss."

I stood up with a big splash, drawing the attention of the guys. They rolled their eyes, turning back around. I splashed my way over to them, making a lot of commotion. "Hey! That was a terrible thing you guys did! I mean, getting a little boy in on it, too? Now he's going to be a prankster. I'm sure his mother thanks you." I yelled, getting closer. I saw a shadow move under the water, and I couldn't help the small giggle that escaped.

Tank smiled, ruffling my hair playfully. "It's okay, bomber. He'll be more fun that way. You should've seen your face, it's so worht any revenge YOU can come up with." He laughed. Lester joined in, splashing me. Perrrrfect.

"It's on!" I ground out, my teeth clenched, them thinking from anger, me knowing I was doing it because if I didn't I'd burst out laughing. I was flinging salty water at them, as fast as I could, pretending I was mad. Just as I got a faceful of saltwater, Lester yelped and disappeared underneath the water. Tank stopped splashing, going dead still. He turned his head, squinting to look under the water.

Sensing this was my opening, I catapulted myself onto his back, slamming him under the water. He gasped and spluttered, standing up with me still hanging on to him. Most of the people on the beach were gaping at us. Lester finally popped up, breathing hard. Ranger smoothly surfaced, taking a couple of deep breaths. He smiled, helping me off Tank. He grabbed my hand and led me back to the floaties, which had somehow not floated away.

"Steph! I will... Get you... For this... This isn't... Over..." Lester shouted, panting.

Tank grimaced, muttering something about how this was never going to end.

The rest of the day at the beach went peacefully. We ate our lunch and I built a sandcastle with the little boy and his sister. Ranger was swimming laps, against the waves, and Lester and Tank were sulking, trying to build their castle bigger than ours.

That night, Ranger and I were in the bathtub, soaking. I had washed the sand off in the shower earlier, among other things. I didn't know if I was going to survive if he kept this up.

When I asked him what was giving him so much stamina, he replied with "I have a lot of time to make up for." That scared me a little bit.

We spent that night doing things that would make the owner of the hotel want to scream. We lay together, our hnds entertwined, enjoying the silence.

"Today was the last day."

"Mmm."

"I had a lot of fun."

"Mmm."

"I love you. Thank you for... Everything."

"I love you, too, Babe. Thank YOU. I hope I can love you how you deserve to be loved."

I leaned my face up and softly kissed him. "You've been doing that since the day I met you."

**A/N: So uh... Basically I told her that I love all of her books and she inspired me to be an author, so she tweeted back saying "Practice and Perseverance! You can do it!" So I uh flipped out. Also my twitter is Beckerdeeboo, but be warned, I post a lot about One Direction. I'm a fangirl trying to get a follow xD**


	12. Chapter 12

I sighed, a smile on my face. This vacation had been fun in more ways than one. I had learned a lot about myself, about who I am, about what I want. I could hear Rangers even breathing in the seat next to mine, and something as little as that made my heart burst with butterflies. The view from the window looked especially beautiful as it flew by, us passing from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.

The silence was broken by Ranger. "So does this mean you'll eat your vegetables now?"

I grimaced. "As if."

His eyes twinkled knowingly. "There are rewards for good girls who eat all their dinner."

"And those rewards would be?"

His fingers found mine. "Dessert."

I could read between the lines. "I think I've developed a taste for green food."

It was three in the afternoon when the van pulled into the Rangeman garage. All the guys were waiting for us with huge smiles. Hal was dancing on his feet, looking excited. Lester and Tank parked and got out. Lester was back to having a mischievous smile on his face. Tank had no facial expression.

Ranger opened my door for me, helping me down from the van. "Vince, take her bags upstairs, please. Cal, will you help him? You'll probably have to make a couple of trips. She got a little crazy in New York."

I heard Tank mumble under his breath, "A LITTLE crazy? A LITTLE? She practically bought out the state!"

I glared. My line of sight was quickly cut off by many black shirts. There was a chorus of greetings for both me and Ranger.

"Bombshell!"

"We missed you around here!"

"Yeah, there were no explosions!"

"Do you know how boring it was?"

"And just think-"

"-Now you'll be in the-"

"-Same building as us!"

"All right, all right! Come on guys, she just got back!" Tank boomed.

There was muttered apologies from them, and red faces. Hal finally spoke, softly.

"Sorry, Bomber. We just… We missed you."

I gave them all a big hug. "I missed you guys too! In fact, I have a video to show you…"

Later, after all the Merry Men had chosen sides on the upcoming epic battle of prank wars, dunking's, and surprise attacks, I looked around the 7th floor apartment. It felt like home to me. As if he could hear my thoughts, Ranger murmured, "It won't be home for long. There's still the batcave, you know." His arms went around my waist and his chin rested on my shoulder.

I couldn't help the smile. It came naturally now, every time I heard his voice or smelled his shower gel or thought about him. "I know. But for now… For now, this is perfect."

He turned me around, gently placing his lips on mine. "It's only perfect because you're here," he said. "Every time you were here, it was a brighter place. And when you weren't, it's like the room was calling for you. Like it could feel how sad it made me that you weren't."

"Now you'll never get rid of me, though. Are you sure you can handle that?" I asked, leaning my head against him.

He looked at me seriously. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

I licked my lips, out of habit. I could feel his reaction, see his eyes darkening. He got that "I'm-the-fox-and-you're-in-my-house-now" look, his smile growing. I felt myself being pushed back, and I feel on the bed. Things were heating up, which I wasn't all too unhappy about, when I heard my phone ringing. I groaned, and it had nothing to do with where Ranger's hand was, although I wish it had.

Rolling off the bed and stomping into the living room, I answered my phone with a huff. "What?"

I could hear Lula screeching in the background. "Stephanie! It's your mother. Where have you been? I've been calling and calling!" Crap. "Your friends are here, Lula and Connie and Mary Lou and Joseph! Joseph is here with a _woman_, Stephanie! The last thing I heard was you were off with that Ranger man! What in the world were you thinking? Your only chance at settling down, and you blew it off to go live in sin with a mercenary!? And your friends and your grandmother are telling me to leave you be because you went on vacation. You could have called; you could have let me know! I was worried sick! I think you need to come home right now, and apologize to Joseph and set things right."

I was speechless. I had never heard my mother speak so long since I was four and I accidentally overflowed the bathtub with Barbie hair.

"I… You… Okay…" was all I could manage.

I assumed Ranger had heard everything, because his blank face was firmly in place. I thought I saw the beginnings of a tear before he turned away. His voice low, he said, "I understand. It was fun, this thing with us. I love you, Steph, I truly do. But I understand that you need to go be with him. It's what's expected." He walked to the bedroom and slammed the door. I heard him mumble, "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Fight for her. No, I don't even deserve her. I'm a coward."

My veins turned to fire. Tears streamed down my face, but I could've sworn they turned to steam because of how mad I was. I stomped out the door, stomped into the elevator, stomped out into the control room and pressed the button that would project my voice to every floor, in every room. The guys stood there with wide eyes, waiting.

"Carlos Manoso! I don't know what the hell I'm going to have to do to make you understand that I love you! I want to be _with_ you, I want to be yours for as long as you'll have me! I don't want anyone else; I don't care what anyone else says." My voice broke, the tears really coming now. I heard the elevator ding. "I can't believe you would think you don't deserve me! I can't believe you would walk away from me, let me go. Do you remember what happened? Do you?! I love you! I always will! Do you hear me? I love you!"

I let my finger slide from the button and turned to face him. There was dead silence in the room. Moving closer, I stood on my toes to kiss him. "I love you."

His blank face was gone; I could see the love on his face, see it in his eyes, and feel it in the way he kissed me. "Always. That's how long I'll love you."

All the guys had lost their edge, they were beaming. I heard a familiar voice, repeating what had started all this. "Go Bossman!"

I was smiling as Rangers lips found mine yet again.

Pulling up into my mother's driveway was nerve racking. For the first time I can remember, my family wasn't pressed up against the screen door.

I got out of the car with Ranger on my heels. I turned the unlocked door, stepping into the house. A wave of freshly ironed clothes and freshly made food hit me, followed by the smell of booze. All of my mother's methods to calm down had been used. I suspected that's why she had called. The kitchen table held my mother, father, Lula, Mary Lou, Joseph-who was looking sheepish-, a girl who looked a year or so younger than me-she looked terrified-, and Grandma Mazur. I took a seat next to my mom, Ranger next to me. He and Joe nodded at each other.

All was silent except the bubbling sauce on the stove.

My mother cleared her throat. "Stephanie. Explain."

I narrowed my eyes. "I've found the man I want to be with."

"And?"

"And that's it. What more do you need?"

"Where have you been? Why did you go? You do realize your only chance of getting married is gone now, right?"

Ranger looked annoyed. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I would love to give Stephanie a chance at getting married."

I broke in, "I went on a road trip. I went to get away from this pressure. Joe's happy, I'm happy, we're still friends, and I don't see what the problem is."

My mother sighed. "I just want you to have a family like you want. And how can your children have a family if their," she glanced at Ranger, "_father_ isn't going to be there."

Ranger started to rise angrily, but I yanked him back down. "No, mom. That's what you want me to want. Right now, I just want to enjoy my life."

"Mrs. Plum, if I might say, I think Mr. Manoso and your daughter are good for each other. Look at how happy she is; she's practically radiant." Joe said.

I stared at him. "What?"

He half smiled and linked hands with the girl. "I'm pretty happy myself."

My father grunted. "Let them do what they want. If they're happy, let it be." He then got up and shuffled to his chair, turning the volume up on the T.V.

My mom looked like he had slapped her. "Well. All right. Would you all like to stay for dinner?" She hauled herself up and turned away.

We all ate, and said our goodbyes. Joe and Cindy, the girls name was, left, and then Mary Lou and Lula left as soon as I promised to spill the details of the trip. I hugged my family, and my mom even cracked a smile after she gave us the doggy bag. "Kinda like old times, I suppose."

I hugged her tight. "Kinda is."

I knew that she wouldn't accept my non-traditional choices easily, but I knew that she would. My dad seemed like he could talk some sense into her. Grandma Mazur winked at me and pinched Rangers butt. "You gotta keeper here, sweetie. You kids be safe."

Ranger half smiled. We were both silent as we drove back to the building. The control room was running just fine as we headed up to the 7th floor. I smiled and waved to some of the guys. All of them looked relaxed and happy. Maybe this place needed more than just a woman's touch. Maybe it needed a woman to make it a family. I smiled to myself. It's nice to know you have a family. I didn't have the traditional 2.5 kids and white picket fence, but I sure did have a nice little family who loved me.

"Why are you so happy?" Ranger asked me.

I rested my head on his shoulder. "I finally found where I belong. And I found my family."

**A/N: So… This left off rather abruptly. I think I'll make another chapter, but if I don't… Then THE END! Thank you guys so, so, so, so, so, so, so much for being with me. Thank you for never giving up, thank you for the help. I'm going to miss this story so much, and I know it took me FOREVER to write this, and I'm so sorry. My birthday's coming up, (16 woot woot!) and I went on vacation and school. But I love each and every one of you. And thank you again! Maybe you can give me ideas on my next story? **


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